Curtis Jones says he has put his injuries behind him and is ready to make a difference to this inconsistent Liverpool side.
On Saturday against Nottingham Forest, the midfielder made his first league start since May and only his third appearance of this campaign due to a frustrating stretch of time on the sidelines.
The run of bad fortune for Jones actually started last season when he suffered a eye injury in training which saw him out of action for the best part of two months which halted any momentum he had built up.
Then on the eve of a new season where he came on as a substitute deep in injury time against Man City in the Community Shield, Jones picked up a stress reaction of his bone, which he then re-aggravated and saw him out of match day action until the past week.
There is nothing more frustrating for a player than missing games through injury, let alone the bad luck that the midfielder has suffered.
As Liverpool slowly move into a new phase of squad evolution, Jones who is still only 21 is hoping he can play a major part in that as the Echo reported.
“When I’ve been injured, it’s been like a freak one. I was poked in the eye last season and out for six weeks, and this season I had a stress response in the bone. I was out for four weeks, I came back and trained twice, felt it again and was out for another six.
“I felt it after the Community Shield. I was having pain in my calves, then after that game I had a different pain, like an ache inside the bone. It’s rare, so I guess I was unfortunate, but now I just have to try and kick on, put it right behind me."
“It was a difficult time, but now I’m back I’m happy and I have a point to prove.
His first start of the season did not translate to team success with Liverpool producing arguably their poorest league performance of a substandard campaign so far.
Despite the defeat, Jones said he enjoyed the cut and thrust of the battle against a physical opponent and was personally thrilled to get through unscathed and adapting to a slightly different midfield role.
“It’s a change [of position], but I felt good, I was comfortable. Yeah it’s different, I’m used to having a one and a two [in midfield]. I wouldn’t say it was more defensive, but it was a more disciplined role I would say. I enjoyed it. Then I moved up to the left of a four [second half] and felt good.
"A team like Forest, even if you score first, they’re always there. They’ll always be in your face and waiting for the moment you’re a little bit slack on the ball. They’ll find a chance to get you on the break and stuff. I felt even if we’d scored, we’d have had to score again so we could pop the ball around a bit more. But it was one of those days."
Recommended Comments
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.